Always wanted a clean 9C1, just cuz... I drive about 2500 miles per month as a sales rep. always read that they were VERY reliable and seems like it would be fun too...

any gotchas with the drivetrain or any other aspects of the 9C1 version?
BTW there is one for sale now it looks to be a very clean 2008 with 66k miles for $8995.. search ebay item # 120663609622
Your opinions please...
thanks very much
waltinbatonrouge

In the 80s a 9C1 had some differences like being able to get a bigger engine and different wheel boltpattern. By the mid 90s there were little to no MEANINGFUL differences between them and their civilian counterparts.

I know the Blues Brothers had something else to say about it but that was a LONG time ago.

Not commenting about that specific car, just commenting on the way folks want to belive a cop car is still somehow "special" when it is not.

Seems legit. I would as the report says have it checked by a mechanic before purchase. It seems it was used by the government instead of a police department which may be good if it has not been abused.

IMO it would be worth a shot.

BTW Walt my family and I were in Baton Rouge back in September on vacation. Also visited Avery Island, and the USS Kidd. May be back down there next summer or early fall.

In the 80s a 9C1 had some differences like being able to get a bigger engine and different wheel boltpattern. By the mid 90s there were little to no MEANINGFUL differences between them and their civilian counterparts.

I know the Blues Brothers had something else to say about it but that was a LONG time ago.

Not commenting about that specific car, just commenting on the way folks want to belive a cop car is still somehow "special" when it is not.

The 90s V8 9C1 Caprice had high miler silicone coolant hoses, rear disc brakes, an external cooler for the transmission and armor plates in the front seat back... At least the thrashed NY State Police cruiser I bought for parts did.

I would bet that the newer 9C1 package has a few cooling upgrades. They do have severe use brake pads and high temp boots on the brake calipers.

The current (2006-2011) 9c1 get the 3.9 v-6 on a basic model. It gets the cooling system of the v-8 SS though. That is supposedly why they never did the v-8 police version because they would have had to make an even bigger cooling system for just a very limited production. Somehow the 9c1 got a recall for the rear suspension camber while the normal cars with the same problem didn't. Maybe there is something different or just the possibility they would be seeing much higher speeds makes it a bigger liability. The Michigan police testing shows the 2008 was the fastest year for the 2006-2011 range of police Impalas. It ran the 1/4 mile in 16.25 sec at 89.13 mph and reached a top speed of 142 mph. Does anybosy have any regular 3.9 1/4 mile runs for comparision?
I too am looking at getting an ex highway patrol car but around here a 2007 with about 80,000 miles goes for about $4300 and a 2008 with the same mileage goes just under $5000 at auction. Those are the good cars with no dents or tears and a good windshield. Been waiting for Hemi Chargers as well but so far there has been only one and it went almost $8000 as a 2006 with 110,000 miles and a few issues.

some additional info:
The radiator is the SS model as said and the standard 160W right fan is replaced with a 225W fan.
There are 3 separate oil coolers added in front of the radiator, an engine oil, a power steering, and a transmission oil.
The alternator is 150amp with idle boost.
The brakes list as "police calibration" with heavy duty front pads.
The suspension is listed as "firm ride and handling" with increased ride height and heavy duty front and rear sway bars.
No traction control feature available.
rear truck lock cylinder added.
The keyless entry is stealth meaning no sounds or lighting when locked or unlocked.
It also has auxiliary power outlets and ground studs under the dash and in the trunk.

It's nothing that special, but it makes and already good car a little better. Plus I trust police department maintenance and treatment more then rental cars or even the average private owner. Also in my case our highway patrol do spend most of their time cruising up and down the major highways and interstates so that 80,000 truly is mostly highway miles. I think that would be much better then buying one of these cars from a big city police department.

The 90s V8 9C1 Caprice had high miler silicone coolant hoses, rear disc brakes, an external cooler for the transmission and armor plates in the front seat back... At least the thrashed NY State Police cruiser I bought for parts did.

I would bet that the newer 9C1 package has a few cooling upgrades. They do have severe use brake pads and high temp boots on the brake calipers.

The black rubber ones never wore out for me an the silicone are soft and very susceptible to rubbing damage.

The rear disc brakes used a drum proportioning valve so they did not function right under normal use, after having had all three rear brake setups in the same car the discs stock for stock are NOT an upgrade.

Many civilian cars had the external tranny cooler.
The 9C1 external oil cooler blindly cools oil rather than regulating it with coolant temp the way the civilian setup did, might have been right for a car idling with the AC on for 8 hours in a median somewhere but not the best setup for an actual driver.
The front calipers were wider to take a thicker inner pad, I am sure you think that is a drastic upgrade somehow.

Far as the armor plates in the seat, I don't know anything about your life but if that means something to you I am very sorry. Those super seats also had lumbar support removed to make room for utility belts, another strike.

"high temp boot on brake calipers" what do you even mean by that? Just something you made up to put the car up on an imaginary pedestal??

I stand by my statement that there were no MEANIGFUL differences.

Oh yeah the rear axle was narrower to make room for snow chains, most people don't like it though because it makes the rear track width narrower than front.

After a 2005 and a 2006 civilian Impala (company issue), I purchased a 2008 9C1 in September.

I wanted an SS, but the prices were higher than I was willing to pay.

I can tell you that it drives completely different than the '06 standard issue. Of course there is significantly more power because my '08 has a 3.9 instead of the 3.5. But it handles SO much better! The suspension allows a lot more speed in turns and on entry/exit ramps.

I put carpet in mine, and OE wheel covers, so it's a sleeper. Have 80,000 miles no with no major issues.

I would buy another one again. I suggest you go for it. If you don't like it, it shouldn't be too hard to get rid of considering the low prices that they sell for.

Hello everyone. Waltin, IMO would never purchase a former police vehicle. I am in the field and know of the abuse the vehicles are put through daily, on normal patrol. Maybe because of this my opinion is biased. When we trade used vehicles in, they are usually towed from headquarters because they can not leave under their own power. The engines are rarely turned off throughout the shift. In fact, the later Crown Vics came equipped with hours meters.

Where I am employed, we don't currently run Impalas. We are running Chargers equipped with a V8 Hemi. These vehicles are ungodly fast...like 148 miles per hour fast. Very little issues so far, mechanically speaking.

As for the armor plates someone had mentioned, these originated in the Crown Vic and are called stab plates. Totally unnecessary in the civilian world, unless you plan on transporting someone who intends to stab you through the back. Ok i am done ranting, I hope my opinion helps. There are former police vehicles out there in good condition, however be advised of the duty these vehicles COULD HAVE been subject too (since you don't know exactly where it came from or to whom it was assigned).

Depending on tire options the 94-96 Caprice had a top speed into the high 140s so that is a little disappointing about the Charger. Then again it is a Dodge so I guess we should just be happy the brakes don't catch fire.

The difference from cops who drove both is how fast the Charger reaches the 120+mph range compared to all the other cop cars. Same thing about baking power. If you are going 70 mph down the freeway and need to slow down and do a U turn and then get up to the bumper of a car doing 100 mph the other direction and you are driving a Crown vic you better make sure you have plenty of time left in you day. The Hemi Charger will brake, turn and be on that guys bumper in a flash. Yes both the newer 9c1 Impala and older Caprice will go a bit over 140 they take a long time to get all the way up there. That new 2011 Caprice 6.0 cop car looks to be the fastest and quickest police car of all time though.

I personally don't mind the long idle time the cop cars get as long as they are highway cars not city cars. The highway guys do put the mileage much faster and don't sit near as much during a shift. Plus that long run time is just one heat cycle on the car. The average guy going to work, running errands, ect puts a bunch of heat cycles every day on the car. So cops may drive with a led foot, but I bet they settle down after the newness of the car or the job wears off. There are plenty of teens to twenty somethings that still haven't gotten past that stage and at least the cops get regular oil changes! Don't even start me about how a rental car gets treated, it's all new fun to be tested every few days by a new driver. In Hawaii you see Neons up Jeep trails for crying out loud. Hey I did it too along with one of the best power brake burnouts ever in a Town Car.

The black rubber ones never wore out for me an the silicone are soft and very susceptible to rubbing damage.

The rear disc brakes used a drum proportioning valve so they did not function right under normal use, after having had all three rear brake setups in the same car the discs stock for stock are NOT an upgrade.

Many civilian cars had the external tranny cooler.
The 9C1 external oil cooler blindly cools oil rather than regulating it with coolant temp the way the civilian setup did, might have been right for a car idling with the AC on for 8 hours in a median somewhere but not the best setup for an actual driver.
The front calipers were wider to take a thicker inner pad, I am sure you think that is a drastic upgrade somehow.

Far as the armor plates in the seat, I don't know anything about your life but if that means something to you I am very sorry. Those super seats also had lumbar support removed to make room for utility belts, another strike.

"high temp boot on brake calipers" what do you even mean by that? Just something you made up to put the car up on an imaginary pedestal??

I stand by my statement that there were no MEANIGFUL differences.

Oh yeah the rear axle was narrower to make room for snow chains, most people don't like it though because it makes the rear track width narrower than front.

Geez. I thought the OP was asking what was different not for my opinion on whether it was better. That list is what I noticed on the NYSP car before it went to scrap. Better or not is opinion. I agree the trend over the years has been fewer useful differences between Civilian and Cop cars. But there are differnces.

I bought that beat 9C1 for the cheap 5.7L LT1. I grabbed the cooling parts that weren't on My car because they were there. In My opinion they added value to My car. BTW I routed the oil return through the radiator and never drove it in the winter.

It makes a perverse kinda sense that the silicone hoses don't wear as well. I used them... But only put fun highway cruising miles on the car for a few years then sold it. The new owner had no problems with them though.

I liked the cushion top Bark-O-Lounger bench seat much better than those thrashed no bolster cop seats. I never took them out of the cop car. I ripped the backs off because I called BS on the stab plates. I was wrong. Makes you appreciate what a nasty job those guys have.

Raybestos lists High-Temp silicone dust boots in all their "Police/Taxi Service" calipers. I'm mildly surprised if this is not OEM considering the coolant hoses.

I sold the rear doors, front spindles with the brakes, rear axle, master cylinder/booster, and D-Block to a guy who wanted the cop brakes and some doors.

The Booster/MC, D-block and/or metering-valve, F&R Caliper bores, ABS, no-ABS, etc must be from the same system. If you mix-n-match it'll work like crap. I know the rear-disc brake master cylinder had different bores than the disc/drum master. Stock rear discs don't typically use a metering/proportioning valve just a D-block with a failure switch. The possibility that GM used a metering valve on the 90's 9C1 is a good reason to be glad I sold the brakes.